Leonard Nimoy Turned Down A Popular Primetime Soap Opera To Join Star Trek

It's almost unfathomable to imagine a world where the late Leonard Nimoy didn't play Mr. Spock in the original "Star Trek" series (1966-1969), but that was almost the reality. According to a 1967 newspaper article in the Warsaw Times-Union, Nimoy had another pretty cushy job offer around the same time he was offered his role on "Star Trek." He'd been offered the role of Steven Cord on "Peyton Place," a popular primetime soap opera that followed the Peyton-Harrington family in their eponymous town.

"Peyton Place" aired 514 episodes on ABC between 1964 and 1969. Although it started off in black and white, it eventually transitioned into color episodes. The role of Steven instead went to actor James Douglas. Steven was a lawyer who appeared in hundreds of episodes across the primetime soap opera. Nearly two decades after "Peyton Place" ended, Douglas stepped into Steven's shoes once more for "Peyton Place: The Next Generation." Although "Peyton Place" ran couple of years longer than the original "Star Trek" series, it's safe to say that the latter has enjoyed way more cultural impact. And as for Nimoy, he had already experienced life on a soap set.

Given its lasting impact, it's clear that Leonard Nimoy's instinct to take "Star Trek" over "Peyton Place" was the correct one. However, that doesn't mean that he never got to experience what it was like to work on a soap opera set. Before landing "Star Trek," Nimoy had an uncredited appearance on "General Hospital" in 1963, playing a character named Bennie, who sold drugs.

According to Gary Warner, author of "General Hospital: The Complete Scrapbook," Nimoy was paid $145. Warner discovered this when digging through a warehouse housing "GH" archives. "I looked at [the payroll] and said, 'Leonard Nimoy? Leonard Nimoy!'" Warner told the Los Angeles Times in 1995. "This is like gold." He continued, "They've got all the early shows on kinescope out at UCLA. So we ordered up the show and they couldn't find the sound. The sound was on a separate reel. I still don't have the sound, but I've got Leonard Nimoy."